MWC Animal Welfare Overwhelmed By Surrenders And Strays

Midwest City Animal Welfare is asking for the public's help finding loving homes for pets after having to euthanize one-third of the shelter's animals last month.

Shelter staff members have seen a large spike in surrenders and strays, but say most of the deaths could have been prevented. One hundred and fifty eight animals were abandoned in Midwest City during the month of May. The shelter only has 24 kennels for dogs and two small rooms for cats. The staff does not want to euthanize any animals, but they say a lack of responsible pet owners leaves them with no choice.

“These things that we do, they keep us awake at night, and it’s a sad situation at times,” said shelter supervisor Adrian Sanders.

Sanders says this is the worst time of year to work in animal control. The excitement of holiday adoption has gone and spring arrived with a multitude of new litters. More animals and fewer adopters creates an imbalance.

In May, the shelter only successfully adopted out 67 percent of its dogs and cats, the lowest rate since January 2015. They work with other shelters and non-profits to save the animals when they can, but right now they, too, are close to capacity.

Sanders says the problem stems from careless owners refusing to spay and neuter their pets, not tagging them and not securing them behind a sturdy fence.

“Every time a storm comes through we get inundated with stray animals,” Sanders said.

Sanders encourages families not to adopt pets if they are not prepared to give them the love they need, but he says there are other ways to help relieve the side effects of overcrowding at local shelters.

“You could donate food,” said Sanders. “You could donate your time. You could share a post on Facebook. There’s all sorts of things that could actually help.”

One of the most valuable resources for shelters is volunteers who can walk and play with the pets to release energy because calm animals are more likely to be adopted. To connect with the Midwest City shelter, click here.